More than 35 terror attacks prevented: Russia

Moscow, Oct 14 (RIA Novosti) More than 35 terror attacks, including some potentially major ones, in Russia have been prevented and more than 350 militants detained till date this year, the National Anti-terrorism Committee said Tuesday. “Sixty-nine terrorism-related crimes have been prevented so far this year, 36 of which terrorists planned to carry out in public places. Over 350 members of illegal armed groups have been detained,” said Alexander Bortnikov, who is also director of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

He said in 2008 over 170 militants, including 13 group leaders, had been killed during counter terrorist operations in North Caucasus.

Bortnikov said a number of terrorist leaders were killed in special operations in the North Caucasus region in September.

He added that the terrorist leaders, including the “Amir of Daghestan,” Ilgar Malachiyev, had been killed in Daghestan’s Khasavyurt and Buinaksk districts, Ingushetia’s Malgobek district, and Chechnya’s Vedeno district.

The FSB chief said major terrorist attacks had been stopped in the southern Russian resorts of Sochi and Anapa this summer.

Al Qaeda planned attacks on the resort cities of Sochi and Anapa using powerful explosives were prevented in July and August, he said.

“The National Antiterrorism Committee has received evidence that there is a threat of terrorist acts in Russian areas bordering South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” he said.

Bortnikov also said over 30 members of the banned extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir had been arrested and convicted during the current year.